Sprint Cup Series Duck Commander 500 Preview

Richard Childress Racing's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history at Texas Motor Speedway ... In 77 starts at Texas Motor Speedway dating back to 1997, RCR has recorded one win (Jeff Burton, April 2007), eight top-five and 29 top-10 finishes with drivers Burton, Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Green and Paul Menard. Prior to Texas Motor Speedway's inaugural season in 1997, Richard Childress, a former driver in NASCAR's top division, earned a pair of top-10 finishes at the now defunct Texas World Speedway in College Station, Texas. RCR NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams boast a 20.5 average starting position, a 16.3 average finishing position and have completed 24,925 of the 25,751 contested laps (96.8 percent) with 139 laps led at the 1.5-mile Fort Worth-based race track.
RCR in the NSCS ... In 2,399 Sprint Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 44 pole awards, 105 wins, 450 top-five finishes and 952 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 17.8 and an average finishing position of 15.8. RCR has earned 15 total championships (six Sprint Cup Series championships with Earnhardt in 1986, '87, '90,'91, '93 and '94, six NASCAR Nationwide Series titles, two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series titles and one ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards title) and was the first organization to win titles in NASCAR's three national series.
The Collective RCR ... Throughout the season's first six races, RCR's Sprint Cup Series entries have earned one pole award with Austin Dillon at Daytona International Speedway in February. Collectively, the organization has notched one top-five and six top-10 finishes with drivers Dillon, Ryan Newman and Menard. RCR's three full-time Sprint Cup Series drivers rank ninth (Dillon), 10th (Newman) and 11th (Menard) in the driver championship point standings.
RCR Martinsville Rewind ... In the Sprint Cup Series event at Martinsville Speedway last weekend, teammates Menard, Dillon and Newman finished 10th, 15th and 20th, respectively.
#NASCARGreen ... All Richard Childress Racing Chevrolets this weekend will sport a green windshield header in support of NASCAR's Race to Green Initiative. For more information about NASCAR's efforts in sustainability, visit NASCAR.com/green.
Save Kids' Lives by Joining the Childress Champions ... Help support the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma by selecting your favorite driver when making a bronze level donation of $33 (Austin Dillon), $27 (Paul Menard) or $31 (Ryan Newman) to CIPT. To make a tax deductable donation, visit: https://www.wakehealth.edu/OnlineGift.htm?fid=45. The Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma invests resources in research, education and awareness to improve the treatment for critically injured children in the U.S. The Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center was established through the generosity of Richard and Judy Childress. For more information, please visit www.InjuredKids.org.

Interactive RCR ... For up-to-date news and exclusive content, visit RCR's Twitter page - @RCRracing - along with the RCR Sprint Cup Series team Twitter pages - @RCR3ADillon, @RCR27PMenard, @RCR31RNewman, and driver Twitter pages @austindillon3 and @RyanJNewman. Information about the 15-time championship winning organization can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardChildressRacing and at www.RCRracing.com along with official driver pages - www.facebook.com/austindillon3 , www.facebook.com/PaulMenard27 and www.facebook.com/RyanNewmanNASCAR.

Catch the Action ... The Duck Commander 500 will be televised live Sunday, April 6 beginning at 3 p.m. ET on FOX and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

This Week's Dow Powerhouse Chevrolet at Texas Motor Speedway ... Austin Dillon will pilot Chassis No. 465 in the Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. This is a new Chevrolet SS that will be utilized for the first time this weekend.
Dillon at Texas Motor Speedway ... Dillon has two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts to his credit at Texas Motor Speedway, earning finishes of 33rd and 22nd in 2013. In four NASCAR Nationwide Series starts at Texas Motor Speedway, Dillon has not finished worse than sixth at the 1.5-mile track, acquiring his best finish of third in April 2013. In four NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at Texas, Dillon has earned two top-five finishes, one pole award and has led 76 laps, earnning a third-place average starting position and a 14th-place average finish position.
Welcome, Dow ... Dillon's rookie year in the Sprint Cup Series is also Dow's first year as a primary sponsor with RCR and the No. 3 Chevrolet. Together, both teams embrace the power of safety, science and technology as RCR tests Dow products under the most strenuous conditions. Dow also drives innovation to help address many of the world's most challenging problems, bringing a broad range of sustainable products and solutions to customers in nearly 180 countries. www.dow.com
Are You Green? ... Dillon will be supporting #NASCARGreen by sporting a Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingle paint scheme this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingles are a revolutionary innovation in sustainability, protecting your home as a roof while generating electricity with energy from the sun. That's why NASCAR, which has the largest sustainability program in all of sports, is a great place with see Powerhouse. The shingles are also one of the most aesthetically attractive options in the solar industry. Dillon has been vocal about the #NASCARGreen initiative, and is encouraging fans to participate by planting a tree and taking energy conservation steps in their own homes. See how by visiting NASCAR.com/green.

Get to the Points ... Dillon is ninth in the championship point standings entering this weekend's race at Texas Motor Speedway, 48 markers behind current leader Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

The Season So Far ... Dillon started off his rookie campaign in the Sprint Cup Series with a pole award in the 56th running of the Daytona 500, making him the youngest polesitter in Daytona International Speedway history in the Sprint Cup Series. He earned a ninth-place finish in the "Great American Race." From there, the Series traveled to Phoenix International Raceway where Dillon finished 24th, and Las Vegas Motor Speedway where he posted a 16th-place finish. He has earned back-to-back 11th-place finishes at Bristol Motor Speedway and Auto Club Speedway. He finished 15th at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday.

#ALLin Challenge ... Dillon is asking fans whether they are #ALLin for a new and exciting challenge every Wednesday on his Twitter account, @austindillon3. From capturing an "awkward hug" via video to submitting your best "poker face" photo to helping crew chief Gil Martin's son Ford find a date for his upcoming prom, each challenge is unique and the winner, as voted on by Austin, wins race tickets or unique memorabilia. Follow @austindillon3 on Twitter every Wednesday for the #ALLin Challenge.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:
What are your thoughts on running at Texas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series?
"I've been to Texas Motor Speedway a few times. I was fast there in a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car last year, so I can't wait to get there. Our Las Vegas Motor Speedway run should lay over to Texas Motor Speedway for qualifying and hopefully, we can better ourselves for the race. It's a fast, rough track and I enjoy those."

How does Texas Motor Speedway compare to Las Vegas Motor Speedway and other 1.5-mile tracks?
"Each mile-and-a-half track has a little bit of a different character. Texas Motor Speedway is similar to Las Vegas Motor Speedway with less banking, but you're still carrying tons of speed. Turns three and four at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway are very similar. Turns one and two at Las Vegas have more banking."

This Week's Quaker State/Menards Chevrolet at Texas Motor Speedway ... Paul Menard will pilot chassis No. 454 this weekend at the 1.5-mile oval in Ft. Worth, Texas. This Chevrolet SS was last used at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this year where Menard scored a third-place finish.

Through the Career ... Menard is making his 261st-career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start this Sunday. During that span, the native of Eau Claire, Wisc. has one victory, 11 top-five and 37 top-10 finishes to his credit. He also has one Pole Award.

How We're Doing in 2014 ... To date, Menard has earned one top-five finish, three top-10s, led 35 circuits and completed 99 percent (1,968 of 1,988) of the laps contested through the first six races. During that span, he and the No. 27 Chevrolet SS team have moved from 30th to 11th in the driver's points standings.

Texas Time ... Through 15 starts at the 1.5-mile track, Paul Menard has achieved one top-five, two top-10s and two laps led. He's completed 4,835 of 5,021 laps (96.3 percent) contested with an average start of 19th and a 20.6 finishing average. Menard's best start of fourth was achieved twice (Nov. 2011 and Nov. 2013). His best finish of fifth was in April 2011.

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Race Rewind ... In this race last year at Texas Motor Speedway, Menard started the No. 27 Chevrolet SS from the fourth position and finished in 15th place.
One Week Ago ... Last Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, Menard started 21st and raced to his third top-10 finish in 2014 with a hard-fought 10th place. Aided by his second-consecutive top-10 result, he moved up three more positions to 11th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver points standings.

PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
What are your thoughts on racing at Texas Motor Speedway?
"What can you say about Texas Motor Speedway that hasn't already been said in regards to how fast it is around that place? We're going to need a good set-up under our Quaker State Chevrolet to get through the turns and great horsepower from ECR Engines to be successful. Our 1.5-mile track program has been getting better and better since late last year. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do this weekend at Texas and keep our momentum going in the right direction."

Texas Two Step ... Newman is looking to capture his second-career victory at the 1.5-mile quad-oval when he makes his 22nd NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at the Fort Worth, Texas venue. His win came in the spring of 2003 making him the youngest Texas winner at 25 years, 3 months and 22 days. The Rocket Man also won the pole for both Sprint Cup Series events in 2005 to complete the sweep. In total, he owns three top-five and five top-10 finishes. The South Bend, Ind., native has an average start of 17th and average finish of 19th. When calculating points earned through the last 10 races at TMS, Newman ranks 10th in most championship points earned.
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Point of Interest ... Newman ranks 10th in the championship point standings entering the seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event of 2014.

Race Rewind ... Last season, Newman started 31st and rallied back from being a lap down to the leader to finish 10th.

Where's Ryan? ... On Sunday, Newman is scheduled to participate in a RC car race challenge at the Oral-B/Prilosec OTC display in The Garage Party located in the TMS Nationwide Series garage. Fans can cheer him on starting at 11:10 a.m. Central Time.

RYAN NEWMAN QUOTES:
What are your thoughts on Texas Motor Speedway?
"Texas Motor Speedway is a good track race-wise. It provides drivers with a lot of options. You can move around and find a line that your car responds to and it's really versatile so you can get around somebody. It's also fast- really fast - so aero is also an important part of it and it's nice to have that ability to move around. With it being one of the older tracks on the circuit asphalt-wise, the racing will be good for both the drivers and the fans watching in the stands and on television."
What is your opinion on lowering the horsepower of Cup engines?
"I do not want to see our horsepower lowered. It's nice to have the driver play an important part in making the race car handle. That is what the right foot is for. If we start holding it wide open, then anybody can come out here and drive. Instead of lowering horsepower, I believe we should take the downforce off the car so it requires the driver to pedal the car. To me, it's like watching drag racing. The best drag races are when it's a pedal fest ... the guys are spinning and smoking the tires. I think we should have that ability too. I hope nothing changes."